1975 06 24 Sense and Nonsense The extreme heat has boosted the sale of suntan oil, straw hats and all the paraphernalia associated with fun in the sun. It has also boosted the sale of pencils and notebooks for the people who have not yet adjusted to the Celsius system of measuring the temperature. Everywhere…

[Circa 1979]  Sense and Nonsense Last weekend we visited my daughter and her family who are spending the winter at a small sawmill camp. They are quite comfortable although they are living without electricity and other amenities of modern living. The small sawmill and the surrounding camp brought back memories of the many such mini-villages…

March 23, 1978  Sense and Nonsense I am a “whodunit” addict. Contrary to popular opinion, lovers of the classic murder mysteries are not necessarily prone to violence. The only time we readers become unreasonably vicious is when our favorite author resorts to cheating on his plots. A writer who conceals crucial evidence from his readers…

April 4, 1981 Sense and Nonsense Everybody dreams. It has been established that our night-time adventures are necessary to balance our daytime personalities. Some dreams are said to reveal hidden emotional conflicts, talents and ambitions, while others contain answers to our everyday problems. According to some learned people, our subconscious minds may actually be smarter…

Mar 13/80 Sense and Nonsense Shift-work has become a way of life for many people, as companies are now producing on an around-the-clock basis. When the work schedule regularly encompasses the week-end, the employee sometimes finds himself in a different “time zone” from his family and friends. In a world largely dominated by the concept…

May 17, 1979  Sense and Nonsense For some reason I have been hearing a lot of “bird talk” lately. I must say after politics and the election issues have been hashed and rehashed, anecdotes about our feathered friends are a pleasant relief! One fellow told of a friend’s visit to a local pet shop. A…

1974  Sense and Nonsense Apparently computers aren’t Infallible after all. I heard on the news that someone fed the old cliché: “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” into a computer. They then pressed the button for a translation into Russian. What came out was “the liquor is still good but the meat…

1980  Sense and Nonsense This column is dedicated to those parents of offspring who have flown (or fallen) out of the nest and now reside several postal codes away from home. Do these children, whom you once gave up your girlish girth for; for whom you fed, burped and diapered; whom you scrimped for and…

1978  Sense and Nonsense The year we broke a long-standing tradition by not staying home for Christmas. We abandoned the turkey and the tree and set forth to Alberta where most of our children and other relatives reside. If Christmas had fallen at any other time of year but in the dead of winter, we…

October 18/79  Sense and Nonsense Mother-in-laws are notoriously good cooks. Their efforts are often hailed as ultimate examples of culinary excellence. Many a young marriage has been rent asunder because of the of the husband’s addiction to his mother’s cooking. After slaving all day in the kitchen, the remark “it doesn’t taste like Mother’s used…